US maritime officials decided to suspend the review of Trafigura’s application for a Gulf Coast deepwater terminal, as they are waiting for additional information, a US Coast Guard official informed on March 15.
Currently, Trafigura aims to receive all necessary US permits to construct deepwater oil export facilities that will be able of fully loading supertankers that carry 2 million barrels. As Reuters informs, the projects will be loading oil from US shale fields onto tankers that will transport it to Asia, Latin America and Europe.
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In addition, the Maritime Administration and US Coast Guard called on Trafigura to supply data on pipeline construction via waterways and on its consultations with groups like the Texas Historical Commission, which emphasizes on historic preservation, among other things.
The suspension will lead to at least a month delay in Trafigura’s plans. For its side, Trafigura downplayed the significance of the suspension, saying that it was working to provide the information needed.
According to an attorney-advisor at the Coast Guard in Washington, such suspensions are common in regulatory reviews. He specifically said that he does not know any deepwater port application that has not received such a suspension.
Except from Trafigura, Carlyle Group, Enterprise Products Partners and Enbridge have also filed applications with the US regulators to construct such ports along the US Gulf Coast.
